With light comes shadows
by FeelingBlueMood
Summary: Pitch Black has returned, stronger then ever with his new accomplices, intent on shrouding entire towns in darkness and despair. Forced to fight him once again, the guardians team up, but will they be enough a second time? and what does the new Keeper of Spring have to do with the battle against the boogeyman?
1. Chapter 1

"You can't get rid of me! Not forever... There will always be fear!"

The sun was just beginning to rise as Jack Frost settled into the branches of a large oak, surveying his handiwork.

His snow coated the ground, white and untouched, piled into drifts along the side of the road.

A light frost rest lightly on the leaves of every tree, turning even the evergreens white, the bark of the same trees cold to the touch, chilled by the biting wind from the night.

The sun, now just barely over the horizon, was caught by the ice and reflected off in a thousand directions, causing it to seem brighter then it normally was by this time of morning.

Everything seemed to fall into place this particular dawn.

This was to be the last snow day of the year, with spring fast approaching and a new charge running it.

Bunnymund used to do spring and Easter, at some point after Pitch's defeat some odd 10 years ago however, it got to be too much, so the man in the moon choose someone new to tend to spring.

She wasn't a "guardian" per se, but rather a keeper, she made sure spring was beautiful and warm.

Her name? Rapunzel.

She and Bunnymund hit it off instantly.

His first task was to teach her how he normally ran spring, she added her own twist to it and the fantastic colorful springs were the talk of the town.

Jack hadn't a chance to meet her yet, only caught sight of her tending to flowers, painting the world with colors and knew of her through Bunnymunds vivid descriptions of long blonde hair, wide green eyes, and a laugh that could warm the coldest of hearts. Despite the fact that she ran spring, Jack's path had never happened to cross her's aside from those brief glimpses.

He wasn't actively seeking her out either, he'd taken on a new hobby that took up much of his time in the mornings each day, and that was, to visit Jamie.

Today was no different, once satisfied with his work, taking a page from North's book and double checking everything, he swooped out of the tree, making his way to Jamie's.

At this point they'd been meeting every morning for years so Jack let himself in the window when he got there.

Perched on the windowsill his eyes sweeping the room for Jamie.

A smirk played on his face when he saw the unmade bed, very typical Jamie.

The room hadn't changed much, though maybe because its resident hadn't changed much.

Jamie was still the same happy, smiling, filled with wonder kid he'd always been, albeit a little older.

"hey, I thought I felt a nip on my nose."

Jack swung fully into the room upon Jamie's appearance, setting down on the bed, staff across his lap.

"Good morning to you to, ya ingrate. I just spent all night setting up a snow day for you, sorry if its a bit chilly for your tastes!"

Jamie laughed and flopped down on the carpet, staring up at the ceiling.

His long brown hair brushed back from his face, his eyes, dark brown, seeming a littler darker then normal in the dimly lit bedroom.

"Good to see you Jack."

"You too."

They sat in comfortable silence, both lost in thought. It felt, almost therapeutic. For Jack at least.

Jamie was the first to break he silence, as if today it were just to heavy for him to hold onto.

"I'm going out of the country tomorrow, one last hurrah before I get into college."

There was a long pause as Jack digested the sudden news. Jamie leaving the country meant he wouldn't see him for a good while, probably a couple of weeks. The first time in years they'd go that long without talking.

That knowledge pained him a little, this was a wonderful opportunity for Jamie, so he forced down the sadness so he could respond with enthusiasm.

"That's great! There'll probably be less snow days though."

Jamie chuckled and stood up, walking to the closet and pulling clothes out, laying them on the bed beside Jack.

"Unfortunately you're probably right. I feel like an idiot, I should have started packing a few days ago."

Jack stood, crossing his arms over the top of his staff, observing Jamie as he carefully folded each shirt before stacking them, preparing them to be stuffed into a suitcase.

"I'll get out of your way then. I'm glad I saw you before you left. Maybe I can come see you wherever you're going?"

"Me too, and I'm sorry, you can't come Jack.. I just, need to find who I am while I'm gone."

A quest Jack was all to familiar with.

"I understand. Be safe, and have fun."

Winking as he said "fun" Jack smirked and flipped onto the window sill, jumping out and being snatched by the wind and carried off over the now sun filled town. Morning had officially broke, and so had Jacks heart.

Once out of view of Jamie, the smile fell off his face.

Landing lightly on the ground he began to pace.

Its so unlike Jamie to just up and leave.

Foot steps went unaccounted for as he kept walking, paying no attention to where he was going.

He knew Jamie's pain though, not having a name or knowing who you are, your purpose.

The staff clacked along the ground as he walked, leaving a trail of ever expanding frost, swirling out consuming everything beneath it in a glassy cold cover.

It hurt, feeling like he was responsible for Jamie, he was a self appointed guardian to him, and yet, being unable to help him on his journey.

Jack's pacing stopped when he felt, no longer ice under his bare feet, but grass, soft and fluffy.

Looking up he saw a scene that brought the smile back to his face.

In a green field, free of snow and ice, Bunnymund sat crouched down beside a kneeling Rapunzel, her seventy feet of shimmering blonde hair surrounding both of them in ever expanding spirals with them at the center.

Her hair seemed to melt the snow around them.

She looked so tiny beside him, only coming up to just below his shoulder, looking up at him in adoration as he talked her through something.

Nodding her head enthusiastically she never took her eyes off him, absorbing every word he said.

He watched as she gently coaxed a flower into blooming, its soft white petals unfolding under her tender care.

It didn't take long for Bunnymund to notice Jack standing off the the side, a scowl quickly appeared on his face, trying to warn him away, to not infringe on their time together.

Jack paid him no mind, swinging his staff over his shoulder he sauntered in their direction.

Like he was gonna pass up an opportunity to annoy the guardian of Hope.

He smirked to himself as he made his way to them.

Oh yeah, this would be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

"Look look! I did it!" Rapunzel eagerly tapped Bunnymunds arm, her face shining and eyes filled with joy as she proudly displayed the flower that had bloomed under her coaxing.

It's white petals spreading out, thick and velvety, radiating brightly, casting off a faint shimmer not unlike her hair.

"Great job sheila!" Bunnymund said proudly, reaching over and patting her on her head.

If someone were to attempt that on the over six foot Guardian, it would have been far less endearing and far more offence to the large rabbit.

However she felt as though a pat from him was worth more than any amount of verbal praise he could have given her.

"Pretty soon you'll be taking over Easter too!"

She laugh heartily, placing a hand on his furry arm and shaking her head, tears of laughter causing her eyes to glisten merrily.

"Not in a million years!"

She looked up at his face only to see a scowl as he looked at something over her shoulder, following his gaze she saw a figure approaching them, she knew him immediately as Jack Frost but she'd never interacted with him before, she knew from Bunnymund's stories of him that he was the Guardian of Fun, she'd been fascinated by him, yet somehow she had not expected him to radiate the amount of confidence that he was as he strode towards them.

"Wow I didn't expect to see you here! Small world isn't it?"

The feigned surprise did not make it past Bunnymund as he rose to his full height in order to greet Jack, blocking him from the timid Keeper of Spring.

"Unfortunately too small."

"Ouch and I thought I was the cold one."

Jack wiped away a pretend tear before leaning around Bunnymund to take a peek at the girl behind him.

She sat on her knees behind him, a large fully bloomed flower in front of her.

For a brief moment, blue met green before he stepped between the two of them again, cutting off the eye contact.

"Don't even think about it mate."

Sensing no amount of joking Jack stepped back, raising his hand defensively.

He knew that given his space, Bunnymund would drop some of his defensive attitude.

From the way he talked about Rapunzel it wasn't hard to guess he felt for her in a similar way that Jack felt for Jamie, like he was responsible for her, and needed to protect her from everyone, including each other.

Sensing that Jack knew this, Bunnymund sighed and relaxed a little, turning to help up Rapunzel who still sat knelt on the ground behind him.

Holding her hand he guided her in front of him and in full view of Jack.

"Jackson Overland Frost, meet Rapunzel."

Smiling she quickly extended her hand to him, knowing in her heart that Bunnymund would never introduce her to someone he didn't trust, he'd told her many stories about Jack, a great deal of them with annoyance at his pranks, but most with affection, he cared deeply for Jack, and any friend of Bunnymund's was a friend of hers.

Jack smirked, leisurely switching his staff to his none dominant hand before grasping her extended one firming.

Almost immediately he wanted to pull away, her warm hand causing a shock to spread over him.

A tingling feeling making its way up, starting from his finger tips and moving up his arm, numbing his fingers and wrist as it went, before he finally pulled away.

"Nice to officially meet you Rapunzel, Keeper of Spring."

If she felt anything she made no notice to it once finally freed, merely smiling and giving a small awkward wave before looking up to Bunny as if for directions on what to do next.

He gave none, opting to nod at Jack before turning and walking away.

Jack was used to that, Bunnymund wasn't being rude, he was just terrible at goodbyes and so he never said any.

That nod was his way of telling Jack that the conversation and greeting was over.

Satisfied that he'd annoyed Bunnymund just the perfect amount, Jack mimicked the nod to Rapunzel before leaping into the air and being carried off by the wind.

Rapunzel watched him be swept up, his hair wild as the wind teased it round his head.

It felt slightly warmer without him, glancing down she saw frost expanding out from where he had stood, melting quickly now that things were warming back up.

Lying down in front of the spot, Rapunzel committed the image of the swirls to memory, vowing to draw them later when she got her sketch book.

Her hot breath finished off the thin ice, melting it fully into the ground so that aside from a small wet spot, you couldn't tell anything had been there.

"Sheila?"

"Coming!"

She jumped to her feet trotting over to where Bunnymund had sat back down, spreading seeds out in front of him and gently covering them with dirt.

Rapunzel smiled to herself as she watched him, it always amazed her that someone so large and intimidating could be so careful, or that he would care so much about making Spring beautiful.

Placing her hands over top of his fresh mound of dirt, she began to hum softly, a tune with words she'd long since forgotten, her hair shimmered softly as the flowers began to grow, small bits of dirt shifted as the sprouts pushed their way to the surface.

Green stem growing ever upwards, a tiny bud at the top, leaves spread out from the stem before finally the flowers began to bloom, unfurling their petals to catch the sun.

Bunnymund watched the process, noting her distracted look.

This wasn't an effective way to grow springs flowers, but it was her favorite as it always produced far more superior flowers in color and scent then when they were left to grow on their own.

He noticed without surprise, as the petals unfolded, that they were a very specific shade of blue, almost an exact shade of blue as Jack's eyes.

He knew deep in his heart that would happen, that she would be smitten by the enthusiastic Guardian of Fun.

Words failed him at that moment, so he made no comment on the interesting shade of her flowers, choosing to instead scatter more seeds for her to grow.

Times like this needed no words.

They worked for a while more like that, he let her rant about anything and everything, she always did talk a lot when she was happy and content.

It was just before evening when they decided the field they'd been working in was plenty colorful and called it a day, stretching out on the sun warmed grass and staring up at the darkening sky.

It was all well and good that they did, for not long after they'd settled down, did the streaks of color appear in the sky, hues of green and pink lit up the world.

Bunnymund leaped up quickly, tapped the ground, a hole growing at his feet.

He looked to Rapunzel, a silent question in his eyes, she gave her answer by leaping into the hole, Bunnymund close after, the hole sealing up behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Drip, drip, drip.

That sound would drive anyone insane.

Drip, drip, drip.

If they weren't already.

Drip, drip, drip.

The moisture in the caverns always seemed to build up, despite the measures taken to avoid it.

The towels piled up and the torches always burned, but a damp chill powered through, seeping into the bones of those brave enough, or foolish enough to stay for very long.

Only three people ever lurked in these caves, the cold and the wet ceasing to bother them as time passed, their stone cold hearts balanced it out.

Fear is a powerful thing, and despite the best efforts of the guardians, someone will always be afraid.

It took hardly a week before Pitch Black had be conjured back up, squirming out from within someones darkest nightmares, pulling himself free, strengthening himself on the fears of others.

Power surged through his veins as time passed.

He could feel his power returning, yet as he gained strength he chose to ignore the desire that burned in him, to ignore the Guardians and their laughter, their joy.

To sink instead, into the darkness, continuing to regain his strength without ever alerting anyone to his presence.

He sat by a dark heavy wood table, long fingers steepled together, and papers spread in tidy stacks before him.

Some were of maps, the locations of towns and cities neatly circled.

Others were pages torn form the spines of books, fairy-tails, horrific murders and everything in between, these were sorted by usefulness.

The most interesting by far were the blue sheets of paper, having drawings of an apparatus in varying levels of detail, describing how it worked, and also its purpose.

It's terrible purpose.

The sound of fabric shifting across the stone floor evoked no reaction from him, nor did the pale hands snaking around his neck and down the front of his shirt, cold hands brushing against cold skin.

Dark kinky hair obstructed his view of the papers, but his eyes never shifted, not even as hot breath brushed across his ear.

"It's all coming together."

The sultry voice of his very own Gothel roused him from his thoughts, turning to meet her lips with his own in a drawn out kiss, somehow ending with her resting upon his lap stroking his face.

"It would seem so."

Was his rather diplomatic reply.

Arms still round his neck, she glanced around the rather bare place.

The long table took up one wall of the cavern, the top of it covered with the papers arranged oh so perfectly.

Across the room was a bed, the blankets askew from someone having slept in it the night before, a back pack with some clothes and random bits of food lay against the foot board.

A dreamy smiley played across her face.

"When do you think he'll be back?"

Pitch's eyes followed her gaze to the bed before flicking back to glare at her.

"Does it matter?"

"Only to me I s'pose"

She rose from his lap and made her way to the bed, throwing herself down in a rather melodramatic way.

Finger tips played with the edge of the sheets, the bed still smelled like its resident.

"You may not be able to see how useful he'll be to us, but I do. I'm pleased that you took my advice and brought him along. He seemed so willing."

Back still to her, Pitch's silence was his answer.

The silenced carried on only briefly before she spoke again.

"What's the next step?"

He tapped his fingers together for a moment before standing, crossing his arms behind his back and striding to tower over her as she laid sprawled on the bed.

"We wait, just a little longer. We play mind games with the guardians, wait until their confidence is broken before we play our little surprise card if you will."

laughing wildly, she jumped to her feet, taking his hand in her own, she gazed into his eyes, oblivious to the fact he didn't share her adoration.

"I knew you would make them pay."

Gothel an Pitch, lost in discussing their plans, paid no mind to the hooded figure standing just down one of the tunnels.

His hair fell over his eyes as he shoved his hand deep in the pocket of his hoodie, shifting slightly from foot to foot, as if trying to warm his body, to no use of course.

Guilt stung at the back of his throat making it hard to swallow.

The tightness in his hands worsened with every clench and unclench.

Turning on his heel, he made his way back up to the surface, barely lifting his feet as he walked, head hung low.

He ought to get used to being alone any how, he probably would be for the rest of eternity now.

These caves could drive a man to insanity.

Drip, drip, drip.


End file.
